Search Engine Optimization

A few months ago we announced that we were testing a new product called Knol. Knols are authoritative articles about specific topics, written by people who know about those subjects. Today, we’re making Knol available to everyone. – Official Google Blog

Anyone can write a Knol. All you need is a Google account. Get one now.

It was rumored that Google was upset with wikipedia dominating search results so it came up with Knol.

With Google Knol:

The authors of the knols can take credit for their writing, provide credentials, and elicit peer reviews and comments.

Users can provide feedback, comments, related information.

Knol project is a platform for sharing information, with multiple cues that help you evaluate the quality and veracity of information.

• You can export PDF and Word files.
• Can use basic HTML formatting
• Can link out. According to Search Engine Land all links are nofollow

Two of the biggest features:

You may use Knol to create articles for your business or to promote your lawful products or services that are not otherwise prohibited by our Content Policy or Terms of Service, unless you are in Cuba, Iran, Burma (Myanmar), North Korea, Syria, or Sudan.

Another big one is:

You can choose to run adsense on your Knols. Great motivation for authors to create high quality articles.

What’s Not Allowed

No porn and perverted stuff.

View Content Policy

How Google Knol Works

Writers create articles and publish on Knol. Run adsense or allow other users to moderate articles. All Adsense profit goes to the author(and Google).

There can be as many articles on any topic as there are writers. So a search for SEO(right now it’s empty) can return 20 articles, from 20 different authors. Users then vote on the articles and my guess is one with most votes gets best search positions(on Knol).

Partially Closed Access is Better

Wikipedia is haunted by black hatters, white hatters and just bored people who want to have a little fun by vandalizing articles.

So will Google Knol.

The bigger problem is with “black ops” like CIA, Information Awareness Office, DARPA and Department of Defense who censor high ranking and very controversial articles about 9/11, Iraq, Iran, voting machines and other topics, where big interests are at stake such as military contracts, oil, BIG dollars and control.

Knol allows multiple articles on the same topic, from different authors, with set permissions. This way readers will hear CIA story on Iraq, one from some journalist and maybe from a veteran or an Iraqi…..?

Wikipedia Killer?

Wiki got market share.

Microsoft entered into search too late to establish a brand and market share (technology sucked too) and now is at 5%. I say Google will be like Microsoft in search – it’s there, it has users, but it’s a minority.

Wiki got 7 year start ahead, has a lot of mind share and fanatics. Knol is unknown and has no PR to rank.

Knol.com Still Goes to Vacuum Cleaners

If you type knol.com in the address bar you get to a Dutch website selling vacuum cleaners!

This site received millions of visitors when Google announced Knol 6 months ago and my guess is they will get more visitors in the coming days. Read the story.

To get to Google knol you have to type: knol.google.com

Knol (the steam cleaners) said they will not sell the domain name. I wonder how much Google offered?